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Has anyone noticed I totally blow at catchy titles? Ya, me too 😦 Awe well I am sure it will be okay!So, I have been the sucktastic queen of the kitchen, as in we have had take out and pizza more times than I care to mention in the last couple weeks. I lost my mojo, couponing, meal planning and cooking just weren’t working for me 😦 Totally a bummer, I think a big part that I became SOO OBSESSED with frugal that I was sad with the lack of really yummy, quality ingredients! Well, Mama got her Mojo back 🙂 Yay buddy!

This week Jay had a play date with a girl who is not big on the eating side of things, so I thought who doesn’t love PIZZA?! So…off I went on a search for a quick and easy dough, I wanted to veer from what is the norm for me and this is what I found on food.comI added the ingredients from the bottom up and this made 3- 2 people pizzas! So fun, the kids made their own, and soo yummy I topped mine with sweet onions, mex cheese blend (cus that is all I have on hand) and banana peppers

Place all the above ingredients in the order I have listed into the bread machine.

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Select the dough cycle and press start!

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When the dough cycle is complete, take the dough out of the machine and place in well greased bowl, and roll the dough around (in the bowl) thus’coating’ it in oil.

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Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1/2 an hour.

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Knead the risen dough lightly.

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To shape and bake: roll the dough into a circle.

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Place on well greased baking tray or pizza pan.

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Then add a topping of your choice and bake at 225’C. *I baked at 450

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NOTE: for a nice crisp and very thin pizza, bake BEFORE adding the topping AND after!

Last night I opted to continue on my drive out of my comfort zone (IE yummy gourmet-esque foods) and made a Tator Tot Casserole! I am personally opposed to all casseroles because of a horrible Tuna experience over two decades ago, I couldn’t eat lays chips for a long time afterward either :shudder:But I hopped on Pinterest and let my fingers take me away

I haven’t been cooking a ton lately but these two were def successes and with the Alton Brown recipes I have lined up for this upcoming month I am sure that I will have a few super long Wednesday posts 🙂

Or not so much….I have tried multiple recipes from this book, and every single one has been an epic fail! I tried the slow cooker oatmeal and it was more like liquid vomit meal, nasty! I would very much not ever, ever, ever suggest this book! In fact I am debating how it even got published 😦

Normally I would write a review and then include a yummy recipe as my closer from the book but since I don’t actually like any of the recipes I will be including a yummy recipe not from the book!

It is massively cold in Colorado today (as in fucking snowing BRRRR BRRR BRRRR) I am not going outside, not driving to school, not doing anything. Okay well I need to feed the kids and fold laundry and shit, but what is better than cookies in snow? Nothing you say!? I agree, so try these out they are tdf yummay

from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

Waxed paper

Directions

In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

I have lost like 15 pounds in the last bit and I get a lot how’d you lose the weight or you look like you have lost weight, whats up?Well here are two of my favorite secrets :)….I don’t have the time to hit the gym every day or every week for that matter (as has been proven after two week long rounds of sick kids) so I rock the Pop Pilates and I eat lots and lots of Bon Bons 😀Okay pick your jaw up off the floor! Yes, I eat Bon Bons and I freakin LOVE them, chocolate and peanut butter…and only 15 calories hellz to the yea!

I love friday something about it is so incredibly refreshing for all that it is and isn’t. Like it is the end of the school week which sends an electric buzz through my house and it isn’t Monday which makes me smile! I am excited for this weekend! We have gymnastics (maybe Brett has been coughing up a storm and while I am certain he is not contagious I am not sure he feels up to it) and Brett has a blood draw, we are taking a trip to the bank (and maybe even the awesome park by the bank). Tomorrow we have pictures with Ania Mikol Photography its a grocery shopping weekend (which means LOTS of new recipes!) My life is all around good and it doesnt hurt one touch that it is Friday! Plus, I made Pancake Muffins for Breakfast…OMFG They were AmaZing and I didn’t eat like 12 of them, only 2 and half the syrup! Want the recipe? How about a recips AND a flour mix that I am in LOVE with? I thought so…

mix it up baby! Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, preheat oven to 350, spray muffin tin, pour 3/4 full in each tin, bake for 25 ish minutes (check on them though I didn’t time them) remove, let cool and serve with a side of syrup

I think of Ramen noodles and eggs, I think of kraft mac and cheese and some foods you just don’t want to eat. I think of menu plans, budgets, and misery…is this really what all the rave is about? I mean are you frickin’ serious? It seems so…square, for lack of a better word. Next, I will drive a monotonous mini van, have 2.3 children and have a FUPA…ARE YOU FRICKIN’ SERIOUS? Ya, I wouldn’t want to be that person either!!!

I totally rock my coupon book but I do not have a FUPA or a mini-van, I don’t eat mac + cheese (although I love a designer Macaroni and Cheeses) and I will not cut any of my kids into fractions but I love, love, love menu planning…because I am learning how to make absolutely amazing cuisine, I mean for real I had home made Thai Peanut Curry with rice noodles and Tilapia for dinner Saturday and it cost me like $7 for my ENTIRE family and I am using left overs and making Spring Rolls for dinner, ya beat that!

For anyone wondering if being frugal means being that person, well it doesn’t any more, with the wonders of the Library and Google we really have no reason not to rock the frugal, and while I do budget I know where all my money is at the end of the month, do you?

Pre-Heat oven to 350Saute Onions and peppersMix all the ingredients in a big bowlPut in lined cupcake panSprinkle an additional 1 tbsp of cheese on each muffinCook for 21 minutesWhen done let cool for 10 minutesRemove carefully*Awesome for Freezing for later use*

So I was listening to pandora the other morning while getting ready, I heard this song Real and I was all that’s so touching until he sang a line Real is a little dream house with a big ole foreclosed sign…then I cried and I realized how real-ly raw this wound still is. I mean taxes are sucky and all but hearing that and thinking back to buying our house, wanting to grow old in it with my husband, bringing my babies home to that house (and having one in the loving room), watching my babies grow in it and seeing myself grow up in it…it was sad, hard and a relief to leave. But it’s still a raw wound

Now for the finding frugal side of things…I think I missed it 😦 I have spent soo much on groceries and I don’t know I almost feel like it’s not any cheaper to make it all myself! Healthier sure, but we will see on the first when we break it all down! It just is hard to see the whole picture from the bottom of the mountain (or is it a mole hill?) On a lighter note anyone up for…

French Onion Soup!Altered from allrecipes.com!Ingredients1/4 cup butter3 onions, thinly sliced1 teaspoon white sugar1 tablespoon all-purpose flour2 1/2 cups water1/2 cup red wine2 cans vegetarian broth1 French baguette8 ounces sliced Swiss cheeseDirectionsMelt butter or margarine in a 4 quart saucepan. Stir in sugar. Cook onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.Stir in flour until well blended with the onions and pan juices. Add water, wine, and beef broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover soup, and simmer for 10 minutes.Cut four 1 inch thick slices of bread from the loaf. Toast the bread slices at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) just until browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining bread to serve with the soup.Ladle soup into four 12 ounce, oven-safe bowls. Place 1 slice toasted bread on top of the soup in each bowl. Fold Swiss cheese slices, and fit onto toasted bread slices. Place soup bowls on a cookie sheet for easier handling.Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or just until cheese is meltedNutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 732 | Total Fat: 29.4g | Cholesterol: 89mg

This is an extremely filling soup I served it with Paninis and blueberry muffins with Brie centers topped with apricot glaze…I only did 1/4 cup servings to save on calories, leaving the entire meal at 500 calories (not cheap 😉 but it did provide me with left over lunch for a week

It takes amazing! But looks like crap and the blade gets stuck in the bottom. It also takes nearly 4 hours to make that bread

Let me say- before I took my happy self to Wal Mart this past Sunday I researched lots and lots of bread makers! I visited my local goodwill hoping to find a breadmaker (unfortunately to no avail!). The Oster Expressbake got like 4/5 star reviews so I figured it would be a good purchase, especially considering I make soo much bread in a week! I was sadly mistaken! Even though the dough is decent and once baked the bread is yummy! The bread is absolutely horrid looking and the blade is always baked into the bread, and it over heats after one loaf 😦 I don’t advise purchasing the Oster Expressbake…in fact mine will be going back to walmart this weekend 😦

Preheat oven to 375fMy brown sugar was clumpy so I stuck it on the stove with 1/4 cup of water and made it into a paste

I put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then mixed it with my hands. Its a very dry dough (heads up).I then took a small ball and flattened it with my palm and stuck a rolo in the center and folded the dough around it. I put it on my greased baking pan and baked for 8 minutes 🙂

I get my bread recipe from thesimpledollar.comAfter it Was done rising